Concordia Choir was founded in 2009, originally meeting in the Manor House school in Ashby. The original membership was predominantly made up of staff from the school and members of St. Helen’s Church, led by James Allen. The newcomers were in at the deep end and took first place at the 2010 Coalville Festival of Music for mixed voice choir.
The small group began to deliver concerts and started to grow, attracting members from across the East Midlands. When David Bean took over as MD in 2014 the choir performed at high profile local events, including the National Forest’s Timber Festival.
Under the guidance of Tom Stanyard, the choir has continued to develop into one of Leicestershire’s leading amateur ensembles, with audiences praising our diction, blend and engagement in performances. (And yes, we still have several original members!)
We now perform a wide variety of music in the local area, ranging from A Capella to Accompanied, Classical to Contemporary and Madrigals to Musicals, occasionally with professional soloists and instrumentalists.
A short video from the District Council, profiling a small grant we received towards our production of Mozart’s Sparrow Mass in November 2024.
Musical Director – Tom Stanyard LRSM
Tom is a Leicestershire born musician who received his early experiences under Brian Humpherson MBE.
He read Music at Keele University where he studied with Mezzo-Soprano Karen Radcliffe, graduating in 2012 after winning scholarships in Conducting and Performing. In 2018 he gained a Licentiate Diploma in Singing Performance from the Royal Schools of Music. He joined Concordia as MD in 2021 and is also MD for the Swadlincote Messiah Society and Organist for Mount St. Bernard Abbey.
Tom is in rising demand as a tenor soloist, with recent highlights including Schumann Dichterliebe in recital, Rachmaninoff Vespers, Mozart Requiem and Missa Brevis, Handel Messiah, Israel in Egypt and Judas Maccabeus, Haydn Creation and Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle. He currently studies with Alexandre Naoumenko and Massimo Modoni, and was recently invited to an international masterclass with Maestra Emanuela di Pietro where he performed scenes as Rodolfo (Puccini, La Boheme) Pinkerton (Puccini, Madama Butterfly) and Alfredo (Verdi, La Traviata).
http://www.tomstanyardtenor.co.uk
Accompanist – Luke Busbridge
Luke began singing and playing the piano at the age of 5, and was a choral scholar at Jesus College, Cambridge. After serving as a lay clerk at Newcastle Cathedral for six years, Luke moved with his family to the West Midlands in 2025, and is now a lay clerk at Coventry Cathedral. When he is not singing at Coventry, Luke also appears regularly with Birmingham Oratory’s professional choir for their sung services.
Luke has had a variety of solo and ensemble roles, including several performances of Handel’s Messiah as a soloist in Durham and Leicester, and the role of Christus in Bach’s St John Passion in Newcastle Cathedral in 2024. He has taken part in numerous CD recordings and radio broadcasts with Newcastle Cathedral Choir, and appeared recently as a soloist for Castle Baroque’s performance of Bach’s Magnificat in E flat, at St Mary de Castro, Leicester, in January 2026. Luke also enjoys conducting and accompanying ensembles, whether on piano, harpsichord, or organ. He is a new arrival at Concordia, having joined as accompanist in February 2026.
A lifelong devotee of choral music, Luke has held a variety of other professional roles alongside his singing work. Having worked for 13 years as a solicitor, Luke has been a university law lecturer since 2019 and is working part-time on his PhD studies. He is also a member of professional chamber choir Luminatus, which is directed by David Bray. This ensemble has released two CDs already and performs a series of concerts in the Midlands each year. The third CD, recorded in August 2025 and featuring works by contemporary female and Renaissance composers, will be released in April 2026.
concordiachoir.co.uk 